Pit Boss Grills 71820 Wood Pellet Grill

Dec 22 2015 Edit Ok I have used this a bit more and got around to putting the wheels on the hopper side which made it so much easier to move it around. I am amazed at the simplicity of this grill and how much it improves the taste of the food. I have cooked a few steaks on the grill after doing the warm up to 500 and then turning it down, you get a bit of a sear and I think it is easier to not overcook a steak which is great. I hate buying a really nice steak and then overcooking it on a grill. On this grill the taste is incredible. Also it is so convenient to use. Just plug in, set the temp and let it heat up and then adjust to your cooking temp. No need to worry if your food is on fire so you just put it on the grill and give it time. I do think that I will change out the wheels at some time to make moving it even easier as these wheels work OK but it is more of a perception thing that functional thing.I have only used it once but I think the shortcomings are only that I have to learn how to grill this way. Follow the directions for first time use, I did not and the first moment or two it looked like my house was on fire. but as the unit heated up smoke came out of the stack but not to an excessive amount. Super easy to use and the steaks I made came out very good. The second one had more of a smoke flavor because I turned the heat down but it produced steaks like I remember when everything was cooked on charcoal. The unit is very sturdy and heavy. If you are not very strong you will need help getting it out of the box. Putting it together was fairly easy despite the instructions saying to do things that were done and paying attention to the leg with a bottle opener which was not on any leg as best I could tell and holes for attaching things that were not included but did not seem like they would work for anything anyway. The through the lid thermometer does not come close to matching the readout but those things are notoriously wrong. Get a wireless temp probe. I saw someone say the wheels are worthless but they work just fine and being all metal they are not going to break all that easily. They came attached although they gave instructions on how to attach them so change them if you want but for me they are good to go. I think the whole design is well thought out with the exception that the hopper is attached with small screws that pulled through the hopper on the first one I received but Amazon set up an exchange and the second one was blemish free. Moving it is not all that easy because the grill is nearly 100 pounds or maybe more but then you toss in maybe 15 pounds of wood chips and you have one heavy grill. no one is going to pick it up and carry it home. Well maybe someone could but they have to be pretty strong. The finish looked good and all the holes aligned when I put it together. I did contact customer support and got a reply on how to fix the broken screws which was a bit disappointing but I had already replaced it. Overall, I would not hesitate to buy the same thing again although hopefully I could afford to get it locally to avoid the shipping problem I had. I was aware that it might be an issue but being the optimist that I am gave it a shot. So I think if you are 1) tired of so so tasting food from a gas grill and 2) tired of buying grills that are meant to last only a year or two well this seems to be the way to go. I am a little concerned about leaving an electrical device outside cover or no cover and wonder what happens if those parts should fail but hopefully I do not need to face that for a good while.After reading the other reviews I realize that I probably have the legs on the way the instructions tell you too but for my model they are on the wrong side. It still works and honestly changing the legs should not take all that much time. I think if I can support the main body I can do it in 10 15 minutes.Cooked a good amount of chicken and ribs finally and they came out great even though it was a rush to get them cooked for my hungry family so I did not have time to really brine the chicken and rub the ribs or even to let it cook low and slow but they came out really good and even had a decent amount of smoke coloring in it so I am sure cooking them properly would even further enhance the flavor. I still have to get the hang of how long it will take something to cook but I did Ok with a steak my son brought. I will say that I am very pleased with the grill but would give them a knock for their instructions on how to put it together being dated and not specific to the model you have. I look at the picture and I guess I should have realized earlier that the wheels are on the wrong side. But to there credit as well, more items that they explain how to put together are already done for you, like the wheels. So what you get is actually easier to put together than what the guide says you have to do.

Item arrived damaged, many bends and creases in metal. After pounding out dent and straightening what I could assembly was realativly easy. Brought my newly purchased and assembled Pettet smoker I had been bragging about to work for a company BBQ. Two hours after starting I still had nothing done, unit wouldn't keep heat, or frie up for keep MF'er than 3 minutes. I called the service number and left a message. I then left work to go pick up a Weber charcoal grill and some coal to try and get lunch going as I had a large number of hungry machinists to feed. While lighting the coals pit boss called me back and proceded to help trouble shoot the issue with me. He said that the fan mounted on the auger shaft in the hopper housing sometimes comes in contact with the hopper wall and it not being allowed to spin would cause the smoker to auto shut down. So after telling the rep the temp on the grill is currently in the 130° range he advised me to unplug the unit, remover the cover plate and attempt to slide the fan/shaft away from the hopper wall. Unfortunately in attempting to follow instructions I lapsed in judgment and proceded to grab a metal shaft inside a barley but still hot BBQ. So after a second degree burn and variety of profanity into the phone and some maneuvering of a very unstable motor driven shaft the fan was freely spinning. I then resecured the cover and lugged into the smoker. Turned on the machine and there was smoke and a rise in temperature. Thinking the issues resolved I hung up and moved the tri tips back into the pit boss 440. I could hear the auger working and temp rising so I left the smoker to do its thing. Checked back an hour later to find a cold BBQ and raw meat. I then proceeded to heat the coals on the Webber with an acetylene torch and rosebud. Lunch was quite late.Skip a head two weeks to me attempting to get ahold of customer service again. Never received the call back so I gutted hopper/auger housing and discovered there is nothing holding down the auger motor. Anything that creates torq needs to be secured or you have the very issue I faced, the shaft which is about 6-8" in length has about 2" of run out. I attempted to adjust the bushing to take up slack but that pushed the auger blade forward.i thought about tapering the blades of the fan for more clearance to the shroud but ultimately used a few feet of heavily insulated 8 gauge wire to secure the motor to its base with a slight adjustment to the bushing location. It now works as advertised.

I have seen other brands but chose Pit Boss for the price. Some super price for the day or screw up. The construction is always first thing I look at and it's built as well as any other. Putting it together took maybe 15 minutes with one screwdriver. These grills are built heavy and easy to put together by yourself with a little thought. I stood it on the grease bucket end using a piece of the shipping foam to stabilize, I laid the foam across the end like resting it on a 2x4 then bolted the legs on and simply pulled it on to it's wheels.A few things the description and other reviews don't mention are the pellet hopper size in which I was able to put a complete 20 lb bag of pellets in it. Yes it does have a pellet dump feature too. There is a small hole to put your temp probes thru so the lid will close and contain the smoke good, the idea of smoking is why you are looking at them after all. The cast iron grates are heavy and good quality. This is a big grill and I think the 700 model would be plenty for any family plus friends.So to finish I wish I had taken a few pics of putting it together and use but I didn't. Build was really simple. The first cook was a 7 lb chunk of beef and it was some of the best I have ever had, 2 hrs on smoke then 4 hrs on 225 = tender with a 1/4" smoke ring.This is a great product both build quality and finished product. Almost forgot the best warranty on the market. Updated in 2018 to 5 years.Actual purchase and use of the Pit Boss 820 Deluxe Wood Pellet Grill